I came to know about Jay Z when my favorite band, Linkin Park, teamed up with it for an album. His rap style was brilliant and nothing else I knew about him.This year I’d planned to read two autobiographies of which Jay Z’s was one.The book, however, is not officially endorsed by Jay Z, but it’s a good work that digs into the mindset of this rapper, CEO and a business man. Though Jay Z’s set out was a humble beginning, eventually got mixed up with drugs and other illegal things. But he had this mindset to dominate any field that he choose to be in, like the title suggests, an Empire State of Mind. From shoe to car brands everything sold because he mentions it in his songs. His albums sold in millions but beneath all this flash and fame Jay Z was a shrewd businessman. Things one can learn from Jay Z:
1)Work“Without the work, the magic won’t come.” – Jay-Z, from “Decoded.”
2)Don’t WaitIt just got to a point where it was, like, ‘Make this decision, because this is something you really love and you love to do. It’s time to really focus on and then get serious about it, give it your all.’ And once I did that, it was no looking back from there.” – Jay-Z, Interview with Forbes.
3)Don’t Take Your Eyes off the PrizeEven though Jay Z become rich and powerful he did not take his eyes away from the prize. He worked towards it. He wanted to achieve a great dream and so he avoided small parties, unnecessary drama and so forth. There are many other things one can learn from him. But this will help in understanding him better. The book is short and I would give 3/5 as far as the writing goes.